Magnetic sewing machine guide



Aug. 2, 1966 M. GROSS MAGNETIC SEWING MACHINE GUIDE Filed Sept. 23, 1964FIG-3 INVENTOR.

MARTIN GROSS ATTORNFY United States Patent York Filed Sept. 23, 1964,Ser. No. 398,706 6 Claims. (Cl. 112-153) This invention relates to amagnetic sewing machine guide to aid the operator of a sewing machine insewing a row of stitches at or near the edges of a piece of material.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my application Serial No.366,120, filed May 8, 1964..

Heretofore, many types of sewing machine guides have been manufactured,some of which have to be screwed or bolted down to the machine, and someof which have to be made integral with the machine.

It is an object of this invention to provide a sewing machine guidewhich will act as a straight edge or guide to guide the edge of clothbeing sewed which may be adjustably moved on the sewing machine withrelation to distance from the needle of the machine, and which need notbe either bolted to the machine or be an integral part of the machine.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such sewing machineguide which will be held to the sewing machine by means of a magnet.

These objects and advantages are accomplished by the device illustratedin the accompanying drawings in which:

*FIG. 1 is a front elevation of the device sitting on the throat plateof a sewing machine, in section and partly cut away, and showing theposition of a needle of the sewing machine partly cut away;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the device with relation to some clothbeing guided thereby, with part of the cloth cut away;

'FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the magnet and housing along the lines3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3 of an alternate form ofmagnet and housing;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a throat plate for a sewing machine havingguide lines graduated in A inch from the needle hole;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view along the lines 6-6 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a top plan View of the throat plate as shown in FIG. 5 of thedevice with an alternate form of magnet and housing attached to same;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of the device as shown in FIG. 7 with aportion cut away for clarity;

FIG. 9 is a medial sectional detail of the alternate form of deviceshown in FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 9 showing an alternate formof the device in which the plate is magnetized to attract the guideframe.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the device comprises a housing10 made of metal or plastic. At one edge of the housing 10, there is astraight edge portion 12 which may be made integral with the housing orattached thereto, and within the housing 10 there is contained a magnet14 shown in phantom in both FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings adapted tohave strong attraction to the throat plate 16 of the sewing machine.Such a magnet may be of any type. However, I prefer to use an Aln-icotype magnet strong enough to hold the device to the throat plate of asewing machine against the normal pressure of an edge or edges 18 ofcloth 20.

In operation, the device 10 is placed on the throat plate or other steelpart of the machine the desired distance away from the needle 22. Thecloth 20 is presented to the machine with edge 18 held against straightedge 12 of the device. The operator moves the cloth 20 forward using thestraight edge 12 as a guide and this results in a uniform row ofstitches 24 the desired distance from the edge 18 of the cloth 20.

I provide rounded portions 26 and 28 at both ends of the straight edge12 so that these rounded portions may assist in the guiding function ofthe device.

It will be appreciated that the device as described may be adjusted atany proper distance from the needle 22, and Will be maintained inposition as a proper straight edge without the necessity of providingscrews, bolts or other fastening means aside from the action of themagnet 14.

In FIG. 4 of the drawings, I show an alternate form of the device whichincludes inside the housing 10 one or more resilient insert means 32 inaddition to the magnet 14. This provision has been made to provideresistance to any possible side slip of the magneted housing .10. Theresilient material 32, such as rubber or any other equivalent material,is adapted to protrude slightly beneath the lower edge 34 of the housingso that it will be somewhat compressed and afford resistance against anysurface to which the magnet 14 is attracted by and magnetically securedto.

In FIGS. 5 through 9 of the drawings, I show an alternate form of devicein which the housing 10 having a straight edge guide 12 is provided witha lip or tongue 40 adapted to be placed within a groove 42 such as isusual in a throat plate 38 having guide line gradations. In FIG. 5 sucha throat plate is illustrated having five grooves 44 suitably adapted tobe guides A to and including 1% inches away from center of needle hole46. Groove 42 mentioned above would be one of the grooves 44 which areusual in such a throat plate 38. The groove, such as groove 42, shouldhave a width of approximately & of an inch and a depth of of an inch orgreater so as to be adapted to receive a tongue of a width ofapproximately 3 of an inch and a depth of approximately of an inch.These measurements are given by way of illustration and are notcritical.

It will be appreciated that when the tongue 40 of the device is fittedwithin a groove 42 and a magnet holds the entire housing down to themachine that it will be extremely difiicult, if not impossible, to twistor move the device with relation to the surface of the machine, and thatthe straight edge 12 will be firm and will maintain its position as aguide.

In order to facilitate removal of the housing 10 for purposes ofadjusting same to different guide lines 44, a tail 5G is provided sothat the user may flip the entire device up and pivot it on the tongue40 in the direction of arrow shown in FIG. 8 of the drawings. Thisbreaks the magnetic contact and renders the device easily removable.

In FIG. 10 of the drawings, I show .an alternate form of device in whichthe machine base or throat plate 138 is magnetized and the guidecomprises a frame 140 made of steel or other material which may beattracted by the magnetized plate 138. This form of device may alsoinclude a tongue 142 as well as grooves 144.

While I have described my device in its preferred forms, there are manyforms which it may take without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention.

In this specification, the magnet guide has been described as beingadapted for use with a sewing machine. However, there is no reason whythe said guide cannot be used with any type of machine in which a web orsheet of material is fed past any point at which it is desired to have aguide for the edge of the material, and in consequence thereof, whereverthe word machine appears in the claims hereinbelow, it shall beconstrued to mean a sewing machine or such other machine as described inthis paragraph.

I, therefore desire to be protected for all forms coming within theclaims hereinbelow.

' Wherefore I claim:

1. A separable and adjustable straight edge guide for a machine, havinga main body portion with at least one straight edge portion andcomprising magnetic means to releasably fasten the saidguide to the saidmachine and comprising a tongue portion extending from the said mainbody portion adapted to be selectively received by at least one groovedportion on the said machine.

2. The separable and adjustable straight edge guide for a machine asdefined in claim 1 which also comprises resilient means adapted tocontact at least a portion of the machine to which the said guide isattached.

3. A separable and adjustable magnetic guide for a sewing machine havinga throat plate, of a material adapted to be attracted to a magnet, withgrooved guide lines: comprising a housing including a straight edgeportion and tongue means adapted to fit selectively in said grooves ofsaid throat plate, said housing containing magnet means to releasablyfasten said guide to said machine.

4. The separable and adjustable magnetic guide as defined in claim 3which also comprises resilient means adapted to contact at least aportion of the said throat plate when the guide is selectively attachedthereto.

5. The separable and adjustable magnetic guide as defined in claim 1,including release means comprising a lateral extension from its saidmain body portion.

6. The separable and adjustable magnetic guide for a sewing machine asdefined in claim 3 comprising release means comprising a lateralextension from its said main body portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 380,683 4/1888James 112-153 X 2,844,291 7/ 1958 McPheeters. 2,977,911 4/1961 Moore etal. 112-260 3,049,031 8/ 1962 Carstens 7762 3,082,799 3/1963 Kennedy143168 3,196,365 6/1965 Chudne-r 112-153 FRANK I. COHEN, PrimaryExaminer.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Examiner.

R. V. SLOAN, Assistant Examiner.

1. A SEPARABLE AND ADJUSTABLE STRAIGHT EDGE GUIDE FOR A MACHINE, HAVINGA MAIN BODY PORTION WITH AT LEAST ONE STRAIGHT EDGE PORTION ANDCOMPRISING MAGNETIC MEANS TO RELEASABLY FASTEN THE SAID GUIDE TO THESAID MACHINE AND COMPRISING A TONGUE PORTION EXTENDING FROM THE